ZOO ATLANTA: ‘The pandas have left the building’
‘Rare and treasured species’ return home
After 25 years delighting visitors of all ages, Zoo Atlanta announced that giant pandas Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun, and Xi Lun have left their Atlanta habitat to return home to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Lun Lun and Yang Yang’s native China. As followers of the pandas will recall, Lun Lun and Yang Yang became the proud parents of twins — Ya Lun and Xi Lun — in 2016.
Before their departure, Zoo Atlanta offered fans a chance to say goodbye Saturday, October. 5, hosting Panda-Palooza, an event that drew thousands of well-wishers lined up throughout the sprawling zoo to “create bon voyage messages” for the pandas “to read on their flight home,” write thank you cards to the Panda Care Team, and to participate in other panda-related activities, and to see the pandas one last time. For some, it was a joyous occasion seeing the pandas for the very first time, for regulars it was an emotional farewell.
The giant pandas left Atlanta October 12, arriving in China on the 13th. How did they get there so quickly? Zoo Atlanta FedEx’ed them, that’s how!
Actually, FedEx donated one of their planes, the “FedEx Panda Express,” a dedicated Boeing 777 aircraft, to safely deliver the pandas home. On the trip, the four pandas were “accompanied by three Zoo Atlanta team members dedicated to ensuring their care and comfort during their travels,” according to a Zoo Atlanta press release. On the flight with them, their luggage included “more than 300 pounds of bamboo; around 10 pounds of fresh produce, including apples, bananas, and sweet potatoes; six gallons of water; and 20 pounds of leafeater biscuits. Similar in texture and consistency to dry dog food, these biscuits are nutritionally designed for leaf-eating animals, contain vitamins and minerals, and are a regular part of the pandas’ diet.”
That the giant pandas have returned to China is no surprise, it was part of the agreement that brought them to our city in the first place. “The return of the four pandas to China is in line with Zoo Atlanta’s giant panda agreement with China,” a release foe Zoo Atlanta explains, noting that “Chengdu is the birthplace of Lun Lun and Yang Yang, both of whom were born at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in 1997. Daughters Ya Lun and Xi Lun are the sixth and seventh Atlanta-born pandas to travel to China. … Since the inception of its giant panda program, Zoo Atlanta has supported the conservation of wild giant pandas and has been in the fortunate position of being able to support giant pandas living in nature reserves. Zoo Atlanta’s conservation support benefits habitat restoration, reserve management, and ranger support, as well as genetic diversity research.
“In addition to conservation support and contributions to the global body of scientific knowledge of giant pandas and their biology and behavior, the Zoo Atlanta panda cooperative conservation program has been notably successful in terms of future contributions to the population of the species. Seven giant pandas have been born at the Zoo since 2006, including two successful pairs of twins. Offspring of Lun Lun and Yang Yang include Mei Lan (born 2006); Xi Lan (born 2008); Po (born 2010); twins Mei Lun and Mei Huan (born 2013); and twins Ya Lun and Xi Lun (born 2016). Mei Lan, Xi Lan, Po, Mei Lun, and Mei Huan already reside at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China and have since all become parents themselves.” —CL—